Locks



, United States Patent Q 1 p LOCKS john F. Wellekeris, New York, N.Y., assignor to Sonic Dynamics, Inc., Staten Island, N.Y., a corporation of New York,

This invention relates to locks, and more particularly to door locks of the character adapted for use in hotels, motels, trains, ships or otherplaces where a change of occupancy often takes place or where a change of combination of a lock is required. It is one of the objects of the invention to provide 'a lock and key-operating means therefor by which the combination of the lock can be readily changed after an occupant has relinquished the 'room.

It is well known that occupants of hotel rooms often carry oflf the key to the doors of the rooms, and while this practice is usually'due to absent-mindedness on the part of the hotel guest, there are instances where the key is deliberately appropriated by a thief with the intention of subsequently returning to the room and plifering the property-f a'later occupant. I f The present invention contemplates 'a lockwhich can have its combination or the arrangement of its operative parts quickly altered to thereby prevent the use ofthe same key after a guest has vacated the room, so that his appropriation of the key will, in the event that his purpose is a nefarious one, avail him nothing, It can, in

' fact, permit hotel guests to keep their keys as souvenirs of their visit.

. -It is an'object of the invention to provide a lock'of the above-mentioned kind in which alteration of the ;,relatio'nship. of the operativeparts of the lock can be *hadby the simple use of a secondary, supplement or so -:called combination, key; inserted in the lock, for e):- 'yample by the chamber maid after the room is'vacated,

. and which lock can thereafter be operated only by the ,use of ackey that isa mate or companion to thecombina' .gtion key employed for producing the alteration of the combination of the lock. p

It is a further object-of the invention to provide a lock of changed to require a different key, without necessitating the dismantling of the lock.

More particularly, the invention contemplates the provision of a door'lock operated in the normalway by the }insertion of a key from the-outer side of the door and 'j -gulated as to the cooperative relationship of its key- Qi'eeeptive-part s by a supplemental:non-rotative key inserted in} the lock from the side of the{ dooriand maintained 'in the lo c'k. E3 the use of such a supplemental key, the lock can be adapted to require it to need an operating key of different contour than the first key to enable it to be opened. I

With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forth in view, I have devised the arrangement of parts to be described and more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed f Fig. l is a vertical sectional view through a lock constructed according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the lock cylinder;

the character above described and with which the relationship of the operating parts of the lock can be' re 2,970,466 oPatented Feb. 7,1961

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of the cylinder;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the cylinder, showing thetumbler plates in position in it;

Fig. 5 is a face view of one of the tumbler plates;

Fig. 6 is a face view of one of the stop plates, showing its. relationship to the cylinder and tumbler plates;

Fig. 7 is a rear view of the lock;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 8-8 of Fig. 6, looking in the direction of the arrows;-and

Fig. 9 is a face view, of one of the stop-plate separators.

Referring to. the drawings, 1 indicates the lock housing which is provided at the rear with a closure plate 2, secured at'the back of the housing by the screws 3a. The rotative cylinder of the lock is indicated at 3, the same being provided with an axially-extending key-hole 15, and also formed with a plurality of similar, equallyspaced slots 4 extending transversely through it. Mounted for vertical sliding movement through the slots 4 are the tumbler plates 5, the shape of each of these plates being clearly seen, in'Figsl' 5 and6. Each of the plates 5 is formed with akey hole 6 and-at the upper and lower ends of the key-holeare provided rollers 7 and the same facilitate the entry of the key 10 and reduce wear on the same.

The key shown at 10 in Fig. 1 is that employed for sliding back the bolt' of the lock, by the insertion of the key in the' key-holes 16fand 6 and on turning the key in the lock intheknown manner, thereby causing rotative movement of the cylinder 3 and of the bolt-actuating lever 12 e'xtending through one of the slots 4 in the cylinder 3. Said lever 12 is formed with a foot portion 13 which engages against and retracts the lock bolt by plates 5 and similarly'provided in an edge of the boltoperating lever 12.

The ability oflthe cylinder 3 to rotatively move in a manner to swing the. lever 12 to actuate the bolt of the lock, is dependent upon the positioning of a plurality of stop-plates 18, one of which is shown in "detail in Figs. 6 and 8. These stop-plates are located within the housing 1 in position between the tumbler plates 5, and by means of'the key shown at 19 in Fig. 1, many one of a number of keys of different contours, the stop plates can be positioned in various ways or combinations, each arrangement of these stop'plates requiring a l-ock-operating key of a certain contour to position the tumbler plates in the mannerpermitted by the stop plates and required to enable the cylinder to be rotatively moved.

. As shown in Fig fiyeachstop plate 18 is provided with an aperture 20 encircling the cylinder 3 and within which the cylinder 3 may be rotatively moved by the turning of the key 10 as long as a suitable non-rotative key 19, herein referred to as the combination key remains in. place in the lock. Each'of the stop plates 18 is provided witha pair of laterally-projection lugs 21, which lugs are, in the locked position of the lock, disposed inthe path of movement of shoulders 8' formed on the spurs 23 provided pass through slots 25 formed in the stop plates Mind the i Each of the separators 28 has a key-hole 29 and holes 30,

the pins 24 passing through the latter holes and supporting the separators. V

The combination key 19 enters through the key-hole 31, located in the rear plate 2 of the housing and extends through the key-holes 26 in the stop plates 18 and has its 1 rear end or finger-piece 19a located in a recess or depression 32 in the rear plate 2, so that this portion of the key 19 may, if desired, be covered or concealed by a suitable closure for the recess 32, and thus rendered accessible for removal only by an authorized person. Sincea combination key such as that shown at 19, or one of another contour, is not rotative in the lock and must remain inthe lock in order to enable the lock to be operated bya companion key 10, it is desirable that the combination key 19 be accessible only to aperson authorized to alter the operating characteristics of the lock.

From the foregoing, the structure and operation of the lock will be readily understood. Many combination keys, all having the same general cross-sectional shape but differing in contour, may be used in place of that shown at 19, and each of such keys requires suitablycontoured mating key It} by which the lock can be operated as long as the companion combination key remains in place in the lock. For example, when a tenant vacates a room and carries off the door key, the chamber maid removes the combination key 19 which was the mate to that carried oii. She then inserts a combination key 19 of a different contour from that which she rethe combination key that has just been inserted in the lock. As long as the particular combination key so inserted remains in the lock, the stop plates 18 controlled by that key, will occupy certain specfic positions so that their lugs 21 can be cleared by movement of the tumbler plates to specific positions, as determined by the insertion of a companion key in the lock.

it will thus be apparent that the; operation of the lock is controlled by two keys, one of which remains in the lock and determines the combination, and the other operates the bolt-retracting means, and which it will continue to do as long as the first key remains in the lock. When the first key is removed, and another key of a different contour is substituted for it, a new key, companion to the substituted combination key, must be used to operate the lock. This requires merely the removal of one combination key from the lock and the insertion of a combination key of a difierent contour to secure a change of the combination of the lock.

Having described a single, embodiment-of the invention, it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structurescorning within the scope of the annexed claims.

What I claim is:

l. A lock having a casing, a cylinder mounted for rotative movement, a bolt-operating element, the cylinder being coupled to the bolt-operating element in a manner to cause retracting movement of the bolt operated by said element upon rotative movement of the cylinder, the cylinder having a plurality of slots extending through it, tumbler plates, extending through the slots andhaving projecting spurs provided with shoulders, the tumbler plates having key-hole openings, the cylinder having a key-hole opening, a bolt-operating key extendable through the key-hole openings in the tumbler plates and cylinder and adapted by its shape to cause selective projection of the spurs beyond the periphery of the cylinder, a plurality of slidable stop plates contained in the casing and adjustable toward the tumbler p ates, each of the stop plates being provided at one end with alug for positioning in the path of movement of one of the spurs, the casing and the stop plates having key-hole openings, and a non-rotative combination key inserted through said keyhole openings to thereby selectively locate the stop plates with their lugs in blocking position for the tumbler plates unless the stop plates and tumbler plates are complementarily positioned by the use of the combination key.

2. A lock having a casing, a cylinder mounted for rotative movement therein, a bolt-operating element, the cylinder being coupled to the bolt-operating element in a manner to cause retracting movement of the bolt opstop plates contained in the casing and adiustable toward the tumbler plates, each of the stopplates having an opening extending through it, said openings encircling the tumbler plates, each stop plate being provided with a pair of lugs positioned respectively above and below the tumbler plates and arranged for positioning in the path of movement of one of the spurs, the casing and the stop plates having key-hole openings. and a non-rotative combination key inserted through said key-hole openings to thereby selectively locate the stop plates with their lugs inblocking position for the tumbler plates unless the stop plates and tumbler plates are complementarily positioned by the use of the combination key.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

